The conventional PKC inhibitor ruboxistaurin promoted survival in a mouse model of TAC-induced heart failure. A, Measurement of cardiac contractility (dP/dtmax) with a Millar catheter in wildtype, PKCα−/− and PKCβγ−/− mice under anesthesia infused with vehicle or ruboxistaurin (N=5 or more mice per group). *P<0.05 vs. vehicle; #P<0.05 vs Wt. B, Diagram of the drug treatment study design and TAC surgical intervention in each of the groups. Drug treatment began 3 days prior to TAC or a sham surgical procedure. Mice were sacrificed 10 weeks later. C, Kaplan-Meier plots of death events in the different treatment groups after TAC. Survival in the vehicle group is significantly different from the high ruboxistaurin group (*P<0.05). The sham groups showed no lethality and hence, are not graphed.